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Best gifts for elementary-aged boys (ages 6-12) | Gift Guide

Shared on November 16, 2018This post may contain affiliate links which means I make a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. See the disclosure policy for more information.

Here are the best gifts for boys ages 6-12, none of which include a screen (healthy brains for the win!).

Magformers — My boys are now OBSESSED with these amazing magnets. They play with them for hours. We store all of our magnets in a plastic shoebox, so they definitely don’t take up a bunch of storage space. Here are the sets I suggest you start with:

Sports Illustrated Kids– Our 10-year old is on his third year of getting the magazine and he LOVES it. He hangs all the “posters” on his wall and pores through each edition. Love that it’s not all about mainstream sports, but talks to athletes all across the board. If you have a sports-obsessed kid (or just a kid who loves to play sports and read), this is a great option. Super fun!

If you’re in the Portland area, consider giving a gift certificate to the Bricks & Minifigs stores located in Canby, Beaverton, and Ridgefield, Washington. They have used LEGOs and almost every minifig known to man.

Spin Master Perplexus— This is the COOLEST maze-type game, with the maze completely encased in a plastic bubble. You turn the ball around and around to roll the ball through the maze. My boys have spent HOURS playing with this. The Original is a great option, but they also have a Star Wars version (complete with sounds!) and an Epic (super hard).

Rubik’s Twist— This is a “twist” on the traditional Rubik’s cube and can provide hours of play! My son uses it to keep his hands busy when we are reading together, but he also loves to watch tutorials on YouTube on how to arrange it in different shapes.

This list was perfect. As I’ve learned over the years, this age, 6-12, is difficult to shop for, considering that they are no longer very young children that enjoy many traditional toys. At the same time, they are too young (in my opinion) for cell phones or other expensive electronics.

I bought my daughter a mini kick scooter when she turned 4 and we LOVE it. I’ve been watching the price of the maxi kick scooter ever since, knowing that I would purchase it once she outgrew the mini. In two years of watching, I have NEVER seen the price go below $150, but today, Amazon has the blue and pink maxi kick scooters on sale for $103.99! This is a killer deal for a fantastic scooter!

I just wanted to second your Ezy-Roller recommendation. My then 8 year old got it last year and it is coveted by every kid in the neighborhood. And even with the heavy use it is in great condition, it is made to last. And a basketball hoop bought the year before is still heavily played with and beloved by my son and his friends.

My son (14 now) has loved the Bricks & Minifigs store for years now- we go to the one in Canby -don’t actually live there, but visit friends sometimes & everytime we go near Canby that is the first place he wants to go! Our friends in Canby (boys and girls) are always up to go with him too-even though they no doubt get there way more than he does.
PS-they also buy used legos-for cash or store purchases. Duplos especially earn the most money we have noticed.

Beyblades are fantastic toys! So are the Beywheelz variety! I gave each of my three boys a Beywheelz toy a month ago and they played with them every available minute for the first two weeks we had them! After that their enthusiasm started to taper a little, but they are still playing with them for at least a half hour every day! Greatest toys ever 🙂